3D printing!

[Valery_V (imported)]

Are finished figurines toxic?

[fhunter]

Are finished figurines toxic?

Unless you eat them - no.

Though, not sure if they would be 'food safe' - so no making 3d-printed cups and such.

[WheelyCurious]

Are finished figurines toxic?

Not an expert, but the makerspace I'm part of has 3D printers that use just about any of the common technologies / materials... (Some of our members were involved in INVENTING 3D printing, or do things like making giant 3D printers to build sand-casting molds for industrial plumbing parts and so on) Toxicity / food safeness is very dependent on the material, but I don't know of any 'hobby grade' materials that are a problem for handling once cured, even if not 'food safe' - Any are going to be safer than the original lead figures!

I believe the ABS based prints, or at least some of them would be food safe, but not certain. However a bigger concern for a lot of the prints is that they tend to be porous enough not to work well with liquids. OTOH I know that there are videos about HP folks making 3D printed 'treat dispensers' for rewarding their service dogs, and given the expense / difficulty in getting a service dog I'm quite sure they wouldn't be doing anything risky for their health...

Of course you can do 3D printing OF food if you want... I know one member who had a 3D pancake printer, and I've seen an assortment of specialty 3D printers for just about any other sort of food that can be extruded...

WheelyCurious

[fhunter]

Biggest issue with 'food safety' is that your whole path (not only plastic) must be food safe.

Is your nozzle for printer made from lead-free material? (cheaper ones are made from brass, and it may contain lead). What about other parts? and so on. It is not only about plastic.